EDUCATION

WHERE TO BEGIN?
Things that have changed with Today’s Learners!
Many ideas incorporated from Bob Darnell see bobdarnell@mac.com

1. There is a need for immediate gratification and high reward.
   1. Videogames—they know where they are along the way
   2. IM
   3. Family Structure
2. Demographics
   1. Special needs are ↑5% → IEP’s →ADHD
   2. Poverty 41% eat their best meal at school
   3. 2.5 times growth in ELL—staff needs PD
3. Shorter attention span (8-12 mins) and visual modality preferred
   1. TV and diet have led to different neuronal wiring in the brain
   2. Think of Ferris Buhler and Wonder Years instructors—they are us!
   3. If it’s not interesting, fun, or challenging—they won’t commit
4. Hands-on, Multi-Taskers
   1. Cell phones
   2. I-pods
   3. PDA
5. Focused on objectives, big picture strategies, practice strategies, and winning
   1. They never played a game without knowing the outcome
   2. They know strategies and how to win
6. Use practice and do-over’s
   1. In Bolingbrook if the grade is <C—retake
   2. No Swiss cheese learning

How can we make the smallest changes in every classroom for the biggest result? Remember curiosity is a powerful motivator!
The 2 biggest motivators of children—these 2 change places –back and forth as # 1 or #2.

• Safety—fear of failure or fear of risk and no do-over---people need to feel they are safe from fear of embarrassment physical harm
• Success—people need significant evidence of meaningful progress toward a goal, mastery of a significant challenge, valued competence, creativity or skillfulness

--others include Love and Belonging, Fun & Enjoyment, Freedom & independence, Valued Purpose (worthwhile, valued, meaningful, interesting, relevant and fun objectives and activities)

Don’t forget to include the brain-- Phil Lawler is a giant in education (retired Middle School teacher and US Congressional consultant)...he works to keep all of us on the cutting edge of student learning! Low cost implementation - large impact on learning.....
In our high school, brain breaks are part of the expectation for classrooms teachers.....based on brain research, we know a classroom teacher should not teach for more than 20 minutes with out getting their students out of their desk and to take a brain break..........for years PE teachers tried to implement academics into PE......it is now time for classroom teachers to implement movement into the classroom

This website should be share with your classroom teachers.......
http://brainbreaks.blogspot.com/ or
www.learningreadinesspe.com

for those of you into the brain research.......keep checking this websites for updates.....latest updates....Fox news Story and Active Brain http://brainbreaks.blogspot.com/

Students fail because lack of;

skills	perseverance / determination
motivation to do homework	connection to positive relationships with Teachers and or peers
confidence	vision for the role school plays in career prep or lifestyle
	respect for the culture of school or education itself

Facts
· 65% of LD is auditory—they don’t remember past 20 seconds
· 49-50% of kids have a visual preference to learning
· 34% are kinesthetic tactile
· 20%↑ group by pattern
· 20% group by patterns—why they put it there
· 50% put in color

What are my options if students don’t get it?
One of the most important questions regarding student academic success is why the performance looks the way it does? An unacceptable answer is that students are not being taught comprehension strategies.

When examining

Predictors of Academic success-
-Positive self-concept
-Realistic self-appraisal
-Successful navigation of the system--how to access resources and use of the system for success
-Preference for long-term goals--delayed gratification and perseverance
-Availability of a strong support system--who can confer advice
-Leadership experience--organize and influence others
-community involvement

----what are your entry-point strategies how do you avoid stereotypes?
Examining student work consider –

Describe
· What knowledge and skills are assessed · What kinds of thinking are required (e.g. recall, interpretations, evaluation) · Are these the results we (I) expected? · Why or why not · In what areas did the students perform best? ·
Student Goal Setting-weekly Self Assessment	Goal Setting and Planning
what goals and tasks did you commit to and accomplish this week? What process and strategies did you use to complete the goals? Which strategy or step was particularly helpful? What didn’t work? What changes do you need to make in your strategies and plans? What is you plan for making the changes? what additional resources or assistance do you need to improve the quality of your learning/work?	Clarify goals from the self-assessment and determine a timeline. Start with the end and work backwards (end in mind). Create a to-do list identifying sub-tasks required to accomplish the goal(s). think about needed resources and the roles of people involved. Identify competing goals and possible obstacles. Create a timeline for accomplishing sub-tasks and the entire goal. Use graphic organizers to show how to plan to accomplish stated goals. Monitor and analyze the use of time and task accomplishment on an ongoing basis. Analyze interruptions (unplanned activities). Learn hoe to take charge of time wasters and to also set priorities and abandon inefficient habits of using time accomplish Recognize and celebrate success.

IDEAS to consider----Based on the data analysis;
· What patterns of weaknesses are noted?
· What specific areas are most in need of improvement?
o Problem solving and mathematical reasoning are generally weak
o Students are not effectively explaining their reasoning and their use of strategies
o Appropriate mathematical language is not always used.
· What specific improvement actions are available
o Increase our use of “non-routine” problems that require mathematical reasoning.
o Explicitly teach (and regularly review) specific problem solving strategies
o Develop a poster of problem solving strategies and post it in each math classrooms
o Increase the use of “think alouds” (by teacher and mostly students) to model mathematical reasoning
o Develop a “word wall” of key mathematical terms and use the terms regularly
o Revise our problem-solving rubric to emphasize explanation and use of mathematical language.

Professional development at high performing schools differs distinctively from the norm! It is directly linked to change in instructional practice in order to improve student achievement. It is often team-based (ABC) and school wide, reflecting on a continual process of renewal and improvement. Much like a time-release capsule, effective professional learning, infuses over time to yield the desired results through a cycle of continuous improvement---examining student data to determine the area of greatest need → pinpoint areas for adult growth → engage in the study to address the identified needs → develop powerful lessons and assessments→ apply the new strategies in the classroom→ reflect on their impact → repeat the cycle as necessary,
Data collection systems are needed to allow schools and districts to comprehensively evaluate, analyze, and interpret student performance toward the LEARNING TARGETS in order to identify and support instructor’s needs and adjustments for instruction thus learning.
The latest research is showing as much as 50% of classroom instruction time is being lost due to the disruptions caused by student misbehaviors. It is these same behaviors that cause great stress and burnout in many educators all across the country.
Help is here! We are a group of teachers and principals that have put together a set of classroom management strategies that actually work. These strategies typically produce very favorable results by significantly reducing discipline referrals, increasing academic achievement as well as creating an environment that both students and teachers can enjoy.
In order to reach and teach as many educators as possible about these highly effective strategies, we are conducting what is called Super Summer Seminars all over the country. The title of these trainings is: Successfully Teaching Challenging Students. During these trainings, you will specifically learn to:

• Firmly and fairly carry out discipline actions
• Maintain a keen and calm mental set for management
• Properly arrange and design the classroom environment
• Build and maintain strong student/teacher relationships
• Teach to and enforce rules and procedures

Please visit www.EraseMisbehavior.com for additional information and most importantly the dates and locations for the Super Summer Seminar in your area.
Review cycle for permanence — WE forget 70 % within 24 hours without review…recap after every learning session and recap before a new one...
i. Review within 1 hour
ii. Revise the info within 24
iii. Review within 1 Week
iv. 1 Month
v. 6 months look at memory bank like lots of books logically organized…organize sort and put in recognizable files

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STOP POINTING FINGERS AND FIX THE PROBLEMS
Rick Wormeli_ assessment and instruction Notetaking skills

During lecture do not or limit notetaking

• the most common instructional tool is lecture
• The least common input for LTM (Long Term memory) is lecture. Nothing goes into the LTM unless it is locked onto something already in storage. In other words, new info tries to get hooked onto a link already present in the brain. If there is not one, a new one must be formed. This leads to frustration. The teacher’s job is to frustrate with lifelines attached, just enough frustration to avoid downshifting. The neurons need hydration and caffeine is a dehydrator. Make sure kids are hydrated for testing.

Every 15-20 minutes have the students reflect. Content expertise should be the subtle stuff
Math requires reading—it is 50% a language course.
Every 10-15 mins freshmen and sophomores need to move.
Instruction is not what YOU think it is, it is what they carry forward. It’s ALL about what the student’s carry forward.
98% of info filters thru the emotional centers before the cognitive centers. The amygdala encodes emotion onto information before processing to the hippocampus. EMOTION DICTATES ATTENTION. Purposely plan for an emotional atmosphere.

• Use their names,
• catch them doing something right
• listen to their stories
• applaud positive risk-taking
• be prepared for each day
• Demonstrate commitment to student success, not documenting student deficiencies.

Meeting them where they are:
-kids come to us biased with perceptions, so access where their minds are
-do not asses students unless you have taken action (from the Latin, it means to sit beside).
The brain is an organ determined to survive, inviting economic decisions. If I take away the brain scaffolding (structure) it will cop-out!
The brain’s dilemma—What Input to keep, and what input to discard?
Hierarchy of input choice

• Survival
• Familiarity/Context
• Priming—setting the purpose with explanation and structure—effect size skyrockets to .80. Without priming < .31 where .25 is worthless
• Intensity
• Emotional content
• Movement
• Novelty

--Disconnect is the major cause for discipline problems. The building of the student-teacher relationship occurs when meeting the needs of the student. DI (differentiated instruction) means to teach to their learning. HOW?
---Teach many different group structures over time—mainly breaks in the routine.
---Expose kids to word problems, stories—learning is more episodic than linear.
---when assessing, take actions when the results come in. it should inform instruction
---Teachers can vary,

• CONTENT, the legally mandated curriculum
• PROCESS, the way they learn
• PRODUCT,--demonstration of knowledge
• AFFECT,
• LEARNING ENVIRONMENT.

---Group kids according to

• Readiness—inherent hope
• Interest
• Learning profile—anything that impacts learning
• Avoid ability grouping, if possible, it implies permanence and discomfort.

---Basic Principles

• Assessment informs instructions
• Diagnosis and action taken as a result of diagnosis is paramount
• Assessment and instruction are inseparable
• Change complexity, not difficulty. Change the quality /nature, not the quantity. Structured or open-ended?
• Use respectful tasks
• Use tiered lessons
• Compact the curriculum
• Scaffold instruction
• Organization and planning enable flexibility.

---Lesson Design

1. Identify your essential and enduring knowledge
2. Identify your students with unique needs, and what they will need in order to achieve: change content, process, product?
3. Identify formative and summative assessments—useful feedback
4. Design the learning experiences
5. run a mental tape of each step in the lesson sequence—Check lesson(s) against criteria for successful DI—Revise s necessary
6. Review the plan with a colleague.
7. Obtain/create materials needed
8. Conduct the lesson
9. Evaluate and revise plans for tomorrow’s lesson.

Lesson Components—remember it takes 5-11 iterations before we and they get it!

Madeline Hinter (1984)	Rich Wormeli	Wiggins and McTighe
1. The anticipatory set includes activities such as reviewing prior content (scaffolding), checking homework, introducing new topics or subjects and arousing interest. 2. Lesson presentation usually consist of what might be considered the traditional teaching activities 3. Checking for understanding entails asking questions, observing students working, and audits students’ progress. 4. Guided practice—provides activities or opportunities foe students to practice and apply the skills or content central to the lesson with the teacher as guide or facilitator, providing feedback. 5. Independent practice—takes place without the teacher 6. Closure—at the completion of the lesson, the teacher provides activities or discussion that review and summarizes the content, skills, or materials used during the lesson. The instructor focuses students’ attention on what they have learned or accomplished during the period.	Inviting and thinking activities Setting context and objectives Presenting agenda/itinerary Learning experiences Sponges Assessment from the Latin assidere to sit beside (formative/summative) Summarization/Closure Advanced look at next lesson. Train the kids what to do (SOP’s) when the teacher is not available * move to the next portion *draw a picture of what you think the text indicate/says *re-read the directions from previous sections *find a successful example and study how it was done *ask a classmate *define difficult vocab *try to explain it to someone else *GO GUESS	-- In your lesson design consider the six facets of Understanding 1. Explanation 2. Interpretation 3. Application 4. Perspective 5. Empathy 6. Self-knowledge
Canady and Rettig	Getting student attention	Grouping
1/3 presentation of content 1/3 application of knowledge and skills 1/3 synthesis of the info -review previously learned material/hw -state objective’s of the day -present material -provide guided practice with feedback -re-teach (as needed) -assign independent practice with feedback -review both during and at the end of the lesson -closure (summarization)	*movement *sound *rain stick *power location *5,4,3,2,1 *speak quietly, requesting action *minimize light blinking Attention moves—do not accept their realities, choose another one. -use their names -inflection -proximity - unison task -redirecting -props -pre-alerting -praise (specific) -prompts -student connect -humor -drama	-Homogeneous is OK but make it temporary -keep them on task with --Fish bowl --Videotaping and analysis --T-list --Scaffolding --Examples and non-examples --Product required
Aristotle’s Triangle	Cognitive science	MISCONCEPTIONS
Pathos, Ethos, Logos ® maximum impact	--Nothing gets into LTM unless connected to something already there (prior knowledge). If the knowledge is not there create prior knowledge --our ability to retrieve info has more to do with how it first enters our minds, not how we study it later. Structure the info the first time around—do not leave it to the students! -prime the brain and set a purpose every time -survival needs come first, then cognition -we remember best when we first experience in a lesson (primacy and Recency effect), and second best what we remember last -the brain confabulates—the brain seeks wholeness. It will fill holes in learning with made-up learning and experiences, and it will convince itself that this was original learning all along. DEAL WITH MISCONCEPTIONS! -do not let students practice partial understating, especially homework. --80% of students are concrete learners thru the first 15 yrs. 80% of curriculum is presented as symbolic or abstract!	*ask simple questions *identify objective early *teach students to monitor their learning *reward questioning *require students to explain their thinking *revisit frequently *use varied, frequent assessments.

DI makes sure they know the stuff, not that they did it! Kids are getting A’s and B’s without doing the work and demonstrating mastery. We can all see but cannot bring meaning ® need a teacher. The truth does not change but the teacher has the tools to assign meaning.

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Instructional strategies

Identifying similarities and differences
Summarizing and Notetaking
Reinforcing effort and providing recognition
Homework and practice
Nonlinguistic representations
Cooperative learning
Setting objectives and providing feedback
Generating and testing hypotheses
Cues, questions, and advance organizers

DI = finds where the student is ready, it asks what (content process, product; how-readiness, interest, learning profile,; why—access, motivation, efficiency

1. the teachers Is clear about the subject matter and its importance
2. the teacher understand and appreciates and builds upon student differences
3. assessment and instruction are inseparable
4. the teacher adjusts content, process, and product in response to student readiness and interests and learning profile (the student has to find out their profile ®virtual core
5. all students participate in meaningful –respectful work
6. students and teachers are collaborative in learning
7. Goals are differentiated are for maximum growth and individual success.
8. Flexibility is the hallmark of a DI classroom.

Big toolbox of strategies for different entry points (find where the kids are) and where they fit on the systemic pyramid of interventions. DI makes sure they know the stuff, not that they did it! Kids are getting A’s and B’s without doing the work and demonstrating mastery. We can all see but cannot bring meaning ® need a teacher. The truth does not change but the teacher has the tools to assign meaning

The most fundamental choice human beings can make is choosing to be successful (Frankl, 1959). Success begins with a change in expectations. It is sustained with a change in attitudes. Knowledge and skills are important. But students must have a reasonable expectation of success in order to enjoy learning and to believe in their ability to learn. They learn those expectations from adult role models.
What is soulful teaching? Purpose without a plan does not ensure quality schools. However, a plan without a purpose is little more than busywork.

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